Stiff Sentence Imposed For Man Who Abused Pug

“I would hardly call this a stiff sentence, but it’s a start if jail hasn’t been given before...the maximum sentence for animal cruelty is now set at five years…yet this heinous crime only warranted six months prison for Laberge? My god, I dread to think what one has to do to warrant the maximum five years; if these dogs had died from their wounds I doubt it would have been five years. Surely this heartless monster deserved, at the very minimum, one year in jail, along with a life long ban on owning any animals.

MONTREAL—Last August, Geoffrey Laberge’s neighbours heard the sounds of dogs being beaten and abused.

On Friday, a Quebec judge handed Laberge the stiffest sentence ever meted out for animal cruelty in the province.

When police arrived at the corner of Pie-IX and 55th Avenue in 2011, they found one of Laberge’s dogs covered in blood. The three-year-old pug had been stabbed multiple times, beaten with a lead pipe and shards of ceramic were poking through her fur.

This pug-mix suffered trauma to the head, including a number of stab wounds, shards from a broken ceramic plate, and being beaten by an iron pipe.

Laberge, 37, will now spend six months in jail after he pleaded guilty to five counts of animal cruelty. Both the defence and crown recommended a sentence that also forbids him from owning an animal for the next quarter century.

“Up until Friday there really was no deterrent effect,” said Alanna Devine, the SPCA’s director of animal advocacy. “Even in egregious cases of animal cruelty when people were found guilty and being sentenced, they  weren’t getting jail time.”

Both dogs have since made a full recovery and have been adopted by new homes. The story of Roo, the abused pug, stood out for Devine.

“It’s difficult for us to not get emotional,” said Devine, who was present when the dog was brought to the SPCA. “One of the dogs was in such a critical state that we felt she needed emergency treatment.”

Roo was rushed to an animal hospital in Notre-Dame-de-Grace where veterinarians were not sure if the dog would survive the night. Devine credited the cooperation of the Montreal police, SPCA and first responders for helping save the dog.

After an amendment to the criminal code in 2008, the maximum sentence for animal cruelty is now set at five years. Devine would like to see the maximum sentence imposed in more egregious cases.

Quebec has had a spotty past prosecuting animal cruelty, with a US-based animal rights group ranking the province the best place to abuse animals for 2010 and 2011.

“This is going to have a deterrent effect going forward that the judicial system in Quebec is starting to take animal cruelty seriously,” said Devine.

Video & News Link: http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/stiff-sentence-imposed-for-man-who-abused-pug-1.1014317#ixzz2AhL4YsnJ

Injured tiger trapped in Kodagu – Taken To Mysore Zoo For Treatment

MYSORE/ MADIKERI: The male tiger captured near Thithimati in Kodagu is severely injured and weak, said vets at Mysore Zoo, after it was shifted there. 

They began treatment on Saturday morning to try and stabilize its worsening condition. The injuries are believed to have been sustained during a territorial fight with another tiger, zoo director BP Ravi said.

The tiger is believed to be 14 years old, and is said to have killed five cattlehead in the recent past. It is suspected to have killed a cow on Saturday, hours before it was captured in Anechowkur range in Nagarahole tiger reserve. The animal was under mild sedation when it reached the zoo at 5am.

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Preliminary medical examination also revealed that the tiger has a big wound in the middle of its face, with a worn-out upper lip. The wound is full of maggots, and the tiger is in a critical condition, he stated.

The tiger, which had created fear in Thithimati town, was trapped at 11.30pm Friday night. Unoj, a teenager who stepped out of her house to answer nature’s call, sighted the tiger sleeping in a bush. She tiptoed back to her house and informed the family.

Later, the forest department trapped the animal and carried it away in a cage. The operation was guided by Hunsur wildlife ACF K D Belliappa, Mathigodu forest range officer Devaraju and his team. The tiger may require a minimum of two months to recover, Dr Umashankar from Hunsur said.

Two months ago, a male tiger was captured at Hebballa near HD Kote and shifted to the zoo, and is now recovering. It has responded to treatment and is gaining weight. It appears that both tigers were driven out of their territories due to old age and pushed to the fringe areas to sustain themselves, Ravi said, adding the zoo has proposed a rescue and rehabilitation centre at Koorghalli to take care of rescued animals.

Tiger experts are trying to locate the 14-year-old tiger’s history in their database. “We may find more details in a couple of days,” a wildlife activist told STOI.

News Link:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mysore/Injured-tiger-trapped-in-Kodagu/articleshow/16897393.cms